Outback Sisters

by Rachael Johns

  ‘Of course.’ A cocktail of anger and hurt flashed in her eyes. ‘No more Knight brothers for me.’

  Her breasts heaved in annoyance and he sucked in a breath, muscles all over his body tightening at the sight. Simone saw and yanked the sheet higher up around her neck, folding her arms over her chest as she glared at him.

  ‘Sorry.’ He looked away, silently cursing as he finished pulling on his boots. Then he stood, shoved his hands in his pockets and lingered awkwardly.

  ‘Waiting for something?’

  He nodded towards the door. ‘What if Frankie’s still out there?’

  ‘Oh. Shit.’ She pursed her lips a moment, then, ‘Turn around while I get dressed.’

  It seemed pointless when he’d already seen every last inch of her naked, but he did as he was told while Simone found something to wear.

  ‘Wait here,’ she said after a moment and then he heard the door open and close again.

  He let out a long breath, his heart hammering. He’d climb out the window if they didn’t have those damn locks that prohibited them opening the whole way.

  After what felt like an eternity, Simone returned, looking frustratingly sexy in a pair of stripy pink flannel pyjamas and holding the black top he’d yanked off her. ‘Good find,’ he whispered, nodding towards the top, offering her a conciliatory smile.

  She didn’t return it. ‘Frankie must have gone straight to bed. She’s probably knackered. The coast’s clear.’

  He nodded as Simone opened the bedroom door and gestured for him to go through it. Although part of him couldn’t wait to escape, it felt wrong just … leaving. He paused in the doorway and looked down at her but she refused to meet his gaze. The word ‘sorry’ lingered again on his tongue, but he couldn’t completely regret what had happened between them, so he swallowed it and kept walking.

  He’d only taken a few steps when she rushed up behind him.

  ‘What if Logan sees or hears you come in?’ she whispered.

  Fuck. He hadn’t thought of that. This deception game was hard; he didn’t know how anyone managed it on a long-term basis. He glanced down at his outfit, wondering if he could get away with saying he couldn’t sleep and had gone for an early run. Logan wasn’t stupid.

  ‘I’ll work something out,’ he promised, turning to meet Simone’s gaze yet again. ‘You try to get some rest.’ Lord knew they’d all need their energy to get through tomorrow.

  ‘Okay. Good luck.’ Her voice was softer this time and it only made leaving even harder.

  ‘Thanks,’ he whispered, resisting the urge to reach out and squeeze her hand. If he touched her again, who knew what kind of trouble they would land in. Without another word, he let himself out into the early morning.

  Angus felt like a burglar sneaking into the villa he and Logan had rented. His heart raced and his fingers shook as he turned the key in the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. But his efforts were for nothing.

  ‘Where the hell have you been?’ Logan asked from where he was perched on the edge of the tiny couch, drinking a coffee. He looked as tired as Angus felt.

  ‘Couldn’t sleep in the strange bed, thought I’d go for a run. You guys finished then?’

  Ignoring the question, Logan raised an eyebrow. ‘In yesterday’s clothes?’

  ‘I didn’t pack suitable exercise gear,’ he said, thinking quickly, ‘so I just threw these on again.’

  ‘You could’ve brushed your hair before you went out,’ Logan said with a slight chuckle.

  Angus’s hand automatically went up to touch his hair, which he guessed looked ruffled because of what he’d just been up to with Simone. Thank God it was his brother not his sister he had to answer to. Olivia would have taken one look and known he was hiding something. Even when she was little she’d always had an uncanny ability to read her brothers like they were picture books. ‘Didn’t think I’d see anyone.’ He forced lightness into his voice. ‘How’d you and Frankie go with the cake?’

  Logan smiled. ‘All right. It looks pretty damn good actually.’

  ‘That’s great.’ It felt so wrong talking about cake after the way he’d just betrayed his brother. He’d never felt more like scum in his life. Angus faked a yawn. ‘I think the exercise worked, I’m ready to hit the sack now. See you in a few hours, hey?’

  Logan nodded. ‘See you, bro. Thanks for coming up here with me. I owe you one. Sweet dreams.’

  ‘You too,’ Angus managed before retreating into his room and letting out a deep breath as he closed the door behind him. Maybe he should have come clean. Confessed his sins and let Logan punch him in the face or whatever he felt like doing. There was no doubt he deserved whatever his brother would dish out, but he couldn’t bear to hurt him.

  Logan and Olivia were all he had in the world, and he never wanted to do anything again to jeopardise that. They were all he needed and all he wanted—anyone else would come with a risk he wasn’t prepared to take.

  Chapter Sixteen

  ‘Rise and shine, sleepy head.’

  Simone groaned at the sound of Frankie banging on her bedroom door. She sounded way too chirpy for someone who’d been up most of the night making cake.

  ‘I need coffee,’ Simone called back.

  ‘On it. Now get your butt into the shower.’

  With another groan, she rolled over in bed, resisting the urge to pull the covers up over her head and bury herself there for the day. She should be excited about watching Stella and Adam tie the knot, but the thought of facing Angus and Logan had her stomach twisting in knots.

  The only way she was going to get through the day was to pretend last night hadn’t happened. Which would be simple, if muscles she’d forgotten existed weren’t currently crying out from overuse.

  ‘Oh Lord.’ She shook her head at her stupidity as she dragged herself out of bed and escaped into the adjoining bathroom. Moments later she was standing under the hot water, wishing it would ease her aching body, wake her up and somehow miraculously wash away the memories of Angus’s touch.

  But no matter how much her brain wanted to forget, her body had other ideas. As she swept the soap over her skin, she shivered, recalling how wonderful Angus’s tongue and hands had felt exploring every nook and cranny. He’d well and truly broken her sexual drought and she was turning herself on just thinking about it. Annoyed, she wrenched off the hot water and shrieked as ice-cold shards rained down on her.

  ‘You okay?’ Frankie called through the door.

  ‘Yep—just dropped the soap on my foot,’ she replied as she turned off the water.

  ‘Did you have a visitor here last night?’

  Simone froze, stark naked, as she reached for the fluffy white towel on the rack. How the hell had Frankie known?

  ‘There’s a wine glass and a beer bottle on the coffee table.’

  She let out a sigh of relief, but kicked herself at the same time for not thinking about this evidence when she’d retrieved her jumper. ‘Angus came back to watch a little bit of TV,’ she said, trying to sound nonchalant. ‘Everyone else left and they wanted to close the restaurant so we brought our last drinks here.’

  Praying that Frankie would accept this excuse, Simone started vigorously drying herself. Although she desperately wanted to confide in someone, she could never tell her sister what had happened as Frankie had a black-and-white view of cheating. Understandable, considering how she’d unwittingly been the other woman in an illicit affair, but this felt so different to that situation. It wasn’t like she and Logan were married—hell, they’d barely even kissed.

  ‘Right. Hurry up then. We’re supposed to be at Stella’s already for hair and make-up.’

  ‘Coming!’ Simone turned to check herself in the mirror for any evidence of Angus. They’d completely lost their heads last night and given no thought to anything except their raw need for each other. Explaining the beer bottle had been one thing, but a love bite on her neck would be an entirely different matter.

  A couple
of minutes later, she stepped out into the living area to see a steaming mug of coffee on the table in place of the empty bottle and glass. Frankie was sitting on the couch, looking like she could fall asleep at any moment, despite her insistence that they needed to hurry.

  ‘How’d the cake turn out?’ Simone asked as she picked up the mug and took a long, much-needed sip. With only a few hours’ sleep, she’d need gallons of caffeine to make it through the day.

  ‘Good,’ Frankie replied, not even turning her head to look at Simone. ‘Amazing, even.’

  ‘You must be so exhausted,’ Simone said, feeling guilty that while her supposed boyfriend and sister had been slaving away in the kitchen all night, she’d barely given them a thought.

  ‘I’ll be fine.’ She all but leaped off the couch, almost making Simone spill her coffee. ‘Come on, let’s go.’

  Frankie had crossed the room and flung open the door before Simone could finish her next mouthful. Figuring she could make another cuppa once they got to Stella’s room, Simone put the mug down on the table and hurried after her.

  At not quite eight o’clock, the air outside still had a bite to it but Simone barely noticed, still hot from her nocturnal activities. She had to walk fast to keep up with Frankie, who seemed to be a little jumpy. Simone put this down to lack of sleep and the stress of the whole cake fiasco. They arrived at Stella’s villa and Simone waited behind Frankie as she rapped loudly on the front door.

  It opened almost immediately, and there stood Faith, looking far too alive for a woman who was supposedly suffering morning sickness.

  ‘Hello,’ she sang and then frowned. ‘You two look terrible.’

  ‘Geez, thanks,’ Simone replied. ‘Love you too.’

  ‘Sorry.’ Faith slapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Ever since Monty knocked me up I seem to have a habit of speaking first and thinking later.’

  Simone forced a laugh.

  ‘Which means we do look crap, you just wish you hadn’t said it. Well, I don’t know what her excuse is but I’ve been up all night,’ Frankie said, before marching past them into the villa.

  ‘What’s up her nose?’ Faith asked, surprised because Frankie rarely got grumpy.

  ‘It’s a long story, which I’m sure will come out later, but please be kind to her.’ Simone gave Faith a quick hug, vowing to forget about the night before and focus on the day ahead. ‘Is the hair and make-up lady here yet? How’s the bride?’

  Faith grinned. ‘Crazy excited. I’m not sure who’s worse, her or Heidi. It’s like they’ve both overdosed on red jelly beans. Come on.’ She linked arms with Simone and led her into the lounge area, which although bigger than the one in Frankie and Simone’s apartment, was already looking crowded.

  ‘Aunty Simmo!’ Having just unwrapped herself from Frankie, Heidi rushed over to Simone and wrapped her arms around her. ‘We’re getting married today.’

  Simone laughed at the way Heidi said ‘we’ and scooped the little girl into her arms. ‘I know,’ she said, wiping some hair out of her eyes. ‘I can’t wait to see you in your pretty dress. You’re gonna look like a princess.’

  ‘Princess Heidi,’ squealed the little girl, squirming to get out of Simone’s arms and back to the action.

  ‘Frankie, Simone, this is Camille,’ Stella said, waving at them from her position on a stool in the middle of the room.

  The pink-haired woman wielding a hair dryer glanced up from her task and smiled at the sisters. ‘Love your red hair,’ she gushed. ‘I have clients pay big bucks for that colour.’

  ‘I’d pay big bucks to get rid of it,’ Frankie replied, slumping onto the couch. ‘If the upkeep wouldn’t be more trouble than it’s worth.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Simone said, then turned to Ruby, who was standing in the kitchen, placing croissants on a tray. ‘Is the kettle on? Frankie and I are in dire need of caffeine.’

  Ruby wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. ‘That’s right,’ she said, ‘how was your big night, Simmo?’

  Simone blushed. ‘Fine. Did you sleep well?’

  ‘Perfectly, thank you,’ Ruby replied, exchanging a look with Faith before they both sniggered. ‘But we’re more interested in your night.’

  ‘Yes.’ Faith nodded, resting her hands on her bump as she leaned back against the kitchen counter. ‘What was it like? Was Logan worth the wait? What time did he get here?’

  Her cheeks burning, Simone thought she might be sick. Just hearing Logan’s name amplified the guilt she was already struggling with. She should just tell them that nothing had happened, but that would only invoke a plethora of further questions. Maybe she could admit that she wasn’t feeling it for Logan anymore—which was true, but what if someone said something to him before she had a chance to talk to him? He’d be hurt and embarrassed. And she certainly couldn’t tell them about Angus, because Frankie was supposed to be taking him to the wedding.

  She nodded towards Heidi. ‘I don’t think this discussion is one for little ears, do you?’

  ‘Don’t mind Heidi,’ piped up Stella. ‘This’ll all go over her head. And I’m desperate to hear the gossip as well.’

  ‘Um … well … I …’

  ‘Will you guys just leave Simone alone?’ Frankie glared from where she’d collapsed onto the couch. ‘Listen to yourselves. You sound like a bunch of teenage girls. If Simone doesn’t want to talk, then back the hell down.’

  Simone blinked at Frankie’s outburst, although she appreciated the sentiment.

  ‘Oh, God, I’m sorry, Stella,’ Frankie rushed, running a hand through her hair, which didn’t even look like she’d bothered to brush it that morning. ‘I’m just tired after being up all night.’

  Stella, Ruby and Faith raised their eyebrows in unison. ‘Why were you up all night?’

  ‘Did you and Angus—’

  ‘No!’ Frankie interrupted before Stella could finish. She looked appalled by the idea and Simone was thankful no-one was looking at her.

  ‘Did the migraine keep you up?’

  Frankie looked momentarily confused.

  Simone jumped in to save her. ‘That’s why you had to skip dinner last night. The migraine, remember?’

  Frankie must have been too tired to carry on the charade. ‘I’m sorry, Stella, there was an accident with the cake yesterday,’ she admitted, her shoulders slumping.

  ‘What?’ Stella’s eyes widened and her hand rushed to her mouth. Until now she’d been the absolute opposite of a Bridezilla but something in her eyes told Simone she could be capable of losing it if hit with an emergency this close to the actual wedding.

  ‘Oh no,’ Ruby said.

  ‘Cake?’ Heidi asked eagerly.

  Camille switched off the hair dryer and looked like she was enjoying the drama.

  ‘Relax,’ Simone said, taking a step closer to Frankie. ‘It’s all good now. Isn’t it?’ Preoccupied with her own thoughts, she hadn’t really paid much attention when she’d asked about the cake earlier. She’d just assumed they’d conquered the task.

  ‘Yes, it’s beautiful.’ Frankie nodded, pulling out her mobile phone. She stood up and crossed the room to shove an image under Stella’s nose. ‘I stayed up all night with Logan making a new one. It’s not the same as the original but I hope you like it almost as much.’

  Simone’s heart stopped as she waited for the bride’s reaction. The room was deadly silent for about ten seconds and then a smile burst across Stella’s face.

  ‘Oh, my.’ She pressed a hand against her chest and sounded close to tears. ‘I love it. I think I love it more than the original. And if people don’t want to eat their share at the reception, it’ll be so much easier to give them a cupcake to take home. Oh Frankie, I can’t believe you did this for me.’

  ‘It was the least I could do,’ Frankie said, a tear snaking down her cheek.

  Stella reached up and hugged her. ‘You must be exhausted. Ruby, where’s that coffee? Or would you like to go take a quick nap and we’ll do your hair and make-up last?�
��

  Frankie shook her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘I think if I nap, I might not wake up. Caffeine will have to be my friend today because I don’t want to miss a moment of all this excitement.’

  Not long after that, Ruth arrived with Aunty Esther, Harriet and Grace in tow, so thankfully there was no more questioning about Simone’s non-existent fooling around with Logan. She didn’t know how people kept secrets for years; this one was already eating her up inside. She hugged her daughters, happy to see them, even if Harriet didn’t return the feeling.

  ‘Breakfast is served,’ Faith announced as she and Ruby carried two trays of warm pastries over to the table, where there was already freshly squeezed orange juice and a big bowl of fruit salad.

  The hair and make-up progress was halted long enough for Stella to scoff a croissant. Simone watched as everyone else ate; all the emotions churning through her stomach made eating impossible.

  ‘I wish I had your metabolism,’ Aunty Esther said as Grace polished off her second large croissant in a matter of minutes.

  ‘We used to once upon a time, sis,’ Ruth said, sitting down between her granddaughters. ‘Remember? Mum used to say we all had hollow legs when we were teenagers.’

  Esther nodded. ‘Certainly not the case anymore.’ But she picked up an apple Danish anyway. ‘You’re growing into quite a beautiful young lady, Gracie. You’ve lost all your puppy fat since I last saw you.’

  Grace blushed and Harriet perked up. ‘What about me?’

  ‘You’re tall and slender and gorgeous as well,’ Ruth said, patting Harriet’s hand. ‘Just like your mother.’

  As Grace slipped out of the room, Harriet made a face, showing her grandmother exactly what she thought about that comparison. Simone was too tired to laugh or cry, so she took another long gulp of coffee and retreated to the couch to sit next to Heidi, who was playing some kind of drawing game on an iPad. At least Heidi wouldn’t grill her about her love life.

  Stella’s hair done, Faith took her turn in the hot seat and Ruby, Esther and Ruth cleared up the breakfast mess, but Simone barely registered the buzz of conversation around her. She was in her own little world till Harriet marched out of the bathroom.